PHILADELPHIA -
Next to his "Back to the Future" model car and "Batman" posters, you'll find "My Little Pony" posters and matching figurines in 19-year-old Zach Wilson's bedroom.
The Drexel University junior is part of a growing community called "bronies" -- male "My Little Pony" lovers.
According to Wilson, the Philadelphia bronies are more than 180 strong. The phenomenon galloped into his life when "My Little Pony Friendship and Magic" rebooted on television back in 2010.
He's a comic book and animation fan who heard about the show online.
"The underlying story is to trust in your friends and things will turn out OK," he said.
That message has helped spawn Bronycon. People male and female who love the show gather yearly to meet others who like the show's message of friendship, love and tolerance.
Michael Shepard, though, knows not everyone is tolerant of bronies.
"The general stigma is someone isn't masculine if they like a television show that is made for little girls. And, basically, what I say is it doesn't matter what television show you watch. It has nothing to do with masculinity at all," he said.
We talked to neuropsychologist Dr. Marsha Redden. She's one of the researchers who conducted a study of about 1,500 bronies.
"They're well-educated, working full or part time, and many are married or date. They're the kid next door," Redden said.
When asked what his girlfriends think about him being a brony, Wilson said, "They know me. They know I like the art and I like the stories. They deal with it. It's not like I neglect them for a pony," he said laughing.
Zach is helping to organize a regional brony meeting in the Washington, D.C., area over the weekend, FOX 29's Omari Fleming reported.
